We had a notion to take the dogs to the Wickenburg dog park today. We were lucky that we were the only ones that showed up. The dogs had a blast and so did the Mama and the Daddy. Click on the image to enlarge.
Retirement
Sun Dogs and Circumhelical Arc
Damsel captured this image of some pretty spectacular atmospheric optical effects this afternoon. There are two pronounced sun dogs left and right of the solar disc, a fainter one above and traces of a circumhelical arc connecting the dogs. The cirrus clouds, consisting of minute ice crystals acting as prisms, were refracting the sunlight into the colorful display. Click on the image to enlarge.
It was a beautiful day here, temperature in mid 70’s and this stunning visual display.
Landscape Maintenance
Just because we are retired does not exempt us from chores. There are plenty of little maintenance jobs around our retirement home to keep us busy.
The creosote bush above needed to be trimmed. This particular bush grows faster than the others on the property since it is located near the irrigation for the citrus trees directly behind it. It also got a couple of deep watering events during monsoon season; it is located next to the drainage ditch west of the house.
Thick creosotes attract small desert mammals that need a place to nest. That, in turn, attracts predators like rattlesnakes. You can understand why we needed this bush to be cleaned up.
The image above is a Flash™ slideshow. Click the image to advance the show from before to after and your humble landscape worker.
Where’s My Airsoft Gun?
These little antelope squirrels raid Damsels bird feeders. I used to take pot shots at them with the airsoft pistol before we had the patio screen enclosure, but now I use an anti-squirrel spray to treat the feeders. It works pretty good, but wears off after a day or two.
More retirement drudgery . . . 😉
Photo credit: Damsel. Click on the image to enlarge.
The Chief Photographer
I got this photo of Damsel coming back from one of her photographic missions a couple of days ago. She gets a lot of really great photos, many of which are posted here, but the majority go into the archives and maybe on facebook or something. Click on the image to enlarge.
Decorating for Autumn
A vase of fall-colored Asian lilies and some Halloween paraphernalia make for a cheerful display in the great room. Click on the image to enlarge.
Blogging Day Off
Taking the day off from posting. Enjoy this picture of The Damsel enjoying the view near our new home.